How to Make Your Phone Less Addictive

Published: January 7, 2026

content creator — Getty Images/ Tatiana Maksimova/2190793738

By Gavin Boyle

While many people are turning to “dumb” devices to quit their screen addictions, many others are changing settings on their smart phones to make them less addictive and achieve similar results.

“This massive amount of time spent on social media is likely keeping people’s nervous systems in a constant state of comparison, stimulation and emotional overwhelm,” Dr. Jennifer Rolnick, a licensed clinical psychologist, told Newsweek. “For many people, social media is a way to disconnect from the outside world, uncomfortable emotions or to momentarily soothe anxiety or loneliness.”

“But the trade-offs is that sense of self becomes formed by the endless streams of other people’s lives, moods, and reactions… Being engaged in the curated,’ perfect’ world shown on social media can wear away confidence, increase self-criticism, and make real-life interactions feel more demanding,” she continued.

To get away from the algorithms that are ruining lives, many young people are changing setting on their phones to make them less addictive.

Some of the settings available on iPhones include:

turning the screen colors into grayscale
creating custom focus modes that only allow essential calls and texts
using the assistive access setting which limits the apps they can use
setting screen time limits

The can also download restrictive apps that limit what users can use their phone for.

Many people have found freedom from their technology addiction through these methods, and as more and more people employ them, it is also becoming more socially acceptable to be less accessible throughout the day.

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“Most of being disconnected for me has been through two themes: finding joy in time-bound opportunities to ditch the phone and removing apps from my phone,” one digital detoxer said after limiting their phone use. “I’d say I’ve been periodically disconnected from my phone for nearly my whole adult life.”

Despite the positive effects of having access to the suite of abilities a phone can offer, nearly everyone who wants to actually cut down on their screen time has to restrict their settings in order to free their brains.

“The smartphone is always with us and is used for everything from work to entertainment and contact with others. This makes it difficult to cut back, even if we want to,” explained Kristoffer Albris, associate professor at SODAS and the Department of Anthropology.

“This shows that there is a gap between what we want to change and what we actually do. And perhaps it is not just a matter of willpower — but also of how our digital lives are woven into our everyday lives,” said SODAS’ Helene Willadsen.

Thankfully, those who want to limit their screen time do not have to completely get rid of their smartphones or even make it that difficult to access all of its features. Instead, by implementing a few restrictive settings, which can easily be reversed, those who want to make their phones less addictive can successfully do so.

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